This is not just for startup founders. As an employee of a startup you are going to go through major roller-coasters as well. Having very close friends to talk to, and that understand your problems (they might work on similar spaces as well), is crucial. Your parents, your family might not be much help on these cases, as they wont understand or be able to give you good advice.

I have 3 friends that are very close to me, and they know every detail of my life (and so do I of theirs), good or bad. When I do need advice, or they do, we can rely on each other to get some feedback on any thing. But I trust them and I know they will have my back, and they wont divulge my personal details.

People that don't form these type of friendships are missing out. It makes the roller-coaster so much easier, and especially when going through life changing moments (job changed, marriage, breakups, etc).

I might have to add though that I suspect the startup community is full of people that are partially inside the bi-polar spectrum. Sometimes it takes a bit of a mania to start something new or crazy, but that euphoric high is always followed by a depressing low. Adding the uncertain nature of the startups, the emotional rollacoster becomes even more crazy and magnified.

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Addition: The arm-chair psychologist in me says the author might have had BPD symptoms, (borderline) during his childhood:

"I cried in private, hoping that my cries might just be loud enough for somebody to hear. I hit myself, to create physical pain that might distract from the emotional."